The present invention relates to an automatic sampling apparatus adapted to pick up a small number, e.g. two, sheets from a conveyor line of the sheets which may be printed papers such as newspapers arrayed in a regular pitch of overlapping and conveyed, through the conveyor line, to a counter stacker, after being folded.
In printing and forwarding of newspapers, the newspapers printed and folded by a rotary press are conveyed to a counter stacker, through a conveyor line. During this convey, it is necessary to sample a small number, e.g. two, sheets from the conveyor line kept in order, for the purpose of checking or confirming the state of folding and shearing.
Conventionally, this sampling has been made manually, by a highly skilled operator, who picks up the sampling sheet quickly out from the moving conveyor line by his fingers.
Therefore, the line of convey of the newspapers is likely to be disordered, resulting in a failure of the equipments disposed at downstream side of the sampling location, for example, the clogging of a counterstacker by the papers.
This is the reason why an apparatus capable of performing the sampling without causing the line of convey to be disordered has been longed for.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an automatic apparatus for picking small, e.g. two, number of printed papers from its line of convey kept in order, for the purpose of sampling, without disturbing the line of convey of the papers, without disturbing the line at leading and trailing sides of the papers picked out.
It is another object of the invention to provide an accurate and highly reliable automatic sampling apparatus having controlling means which ensure correct positioning of a sampling blade, by preserving a correct timing of insertion of the blade into the line of convey irrespective of change in the speed of convey.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an automatic sampling apparatus in which a reasonable arrangement is made by employing an automatic ejecting means for ejecting wasted papers caused by suspension of paper feeding, commencement of the printing, failure of a carrier or by an emergency stop due to a tearing of the paper, the ejecting means being conveniently incorporated in a discharge port for the sampling apparatus.